A Little Quiet Around Here

I know it's been a little quiet around the blog this past month or so.

That's partly because it's spring! And when the blackflies let me, I've been spending as much time as possible outdoors.

I was also getting things ready for our Society for Creative Anachronism demo table at Holland, Michigan's Tulip Time festival: borrowing a chain mail shirt from my brother, designing a handout, getting photocopies, and basically running around on lots of adrenaline.

Saturday started out cool, windy, and sunny. We had a table at "Kinderplaats," a big area where for $5, kids could do any of the activities in the area. They had everything from a puppet theater to miniature ponies to the bounceables, costumed dancers, games, and a trained dog act.

And horses that danced. The horse in the foreground was as calm as a police horse in the face of little kids, a fire engine siren, and flapping balloons.

Our fun thing to do was to put the chain mail shirt, weighing about 20 pounds (~9 kilos), on any of the kids who were big enough (and some who probably weren't!)

It was funny how many tiny little girls wanted to try it on, when some of the boys wouldn't.

Saturday was the same day as the Andelcrag Baronial Althing, where the Baronial Champion is chosen. That meant most of the SCA members who would have been available to help were either working, fighting, or attending the Althing.

Saturday also had weather that went from sunny in the morning, to colder and windier, to steady rain at 3pm. After shivering in the chilly wind for a couple of hours, when it started to rain I'll admit I was grateful to load everything up and sit in my warm car.

I waited (and warmed back up) for about half an hour, but the rain got heavier little by little. The puppet show (Greg Lester's Puppet Adventures) went on in the rain.

The rain continued into the evening, but Sunday was sunny and warmer, and boy was it nice not to freeze! I also had more help at the table, but forgot I had my camera and could take pictures.

After picking the 20-pound chain mail shirt up over and over to put it over kids' heads (did I mention it weighs 20 lbs?) for two days in a row, I was pretty tired by the end of the day. In fact, when I got home, I sat down to listen to the radio, and the next thing I knew, I was waking up.

I slept very well Sunday night! Now, if I can just get Blogger to accept this post . . .